In a thrilling turn of events at Daytona, NASCAR witnessed a dramatic race finish. But came forth a surprising revelation from Brad Keselowski. As owner of RFK Racing, Keselowski’s journey in the regular season finale was packed with tension and unexpected theatrics. However, his teammate Chris Buescher clinched victory to make the day an overall success. Nonetheless, Keselowski’s post-race comments cast a spotlight on potential challenges posed by NASCAR’s Next Gen Car that could have jeopardized his race at Daytona.

Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing experienced a rollercoaster at Daytona’s regular-season finale. Despite finishing a solid 2nd behind teammate Chris Buescher, Keselowski’s post-race commentary turned heads. He revealed that during a red flag period, he noticed fumes emitting from the front left rocker panel of his car. Not knowing what was causing the fumes, he had to take quick action to prevent his car from catching fire.

Brad Keselowski feared that his #6 Ford Mustang would have caught fire during the red flag period

The race was red-flagged on lap 96. However, Brad Keselowski faced a big challenge when smoke billowed from his car’s front left rocker panel. Undeterred, he took matters into his own hands. And came up with a unique solution to avert disaster.

During the red flag period, Keselowski’s car went around in circles, drawing attention and even jest from onlookers. However, during the post-race conference, Keselowski explained that the smoke indicated a potential fire threat, prompting his improvised maneuver to circulate air and extinguish the threat.

Answering Deb William’s question on why he was going around in circles, he said, “I was sitting there on the red flag and it just started smoking really big out of the left front rocker panel. And I knew what that meant. It was about to catch fire and I was gonna get knocked out of the race and the only way to stop that was to get air moving through the car.

“Of course being on a red flag, I had to improvise,” Keselowski added. “And there was a pad at the bottom of the racetrack. I knew I couldn’t drive around the racetrack without getting in serious trouble. But I figured I could get away with driving on that pad. So I just ran on that pad until the flames and the smoke disappeared and called it good.”

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When followed up with whether he knew what caused the fumes, Keselowski said, “It’s hard to say. Most likely it came from the the foam insulation overheating as the car was sitting with stagnant air. Hard to say if some of the foam broke up in the race and dropped on the exhaust or if the exhaust cracked. There’s a number of things that could have caused it.”

In a sport where split-second decisions are the norm. Keselowski’s quick thinking kept his hopes alive. Ultimately leading to his second-place finish behind his teammate Chris Buescher who had nothing but praise for his boss man.

Teammates in victory: Buescher said that the win belonged to Keselowski as much as it did to him

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The Daytona race concluded with an electrifying finish as Chris Buescher clinched victory with a mere 0.098-second lead over his teammate. The triumph not only marked Buescher’s prowess but also signaled a significant achievement for RFK Racing. Brad Keselowski’s instrumental role in guiding and supporting his team through the eventful race was evident as he assisted Buescher in crucial moments.

In a moment of genuine camaraderie, Buescher attributed his victory to Keselowski’s contributions. “So proud to get the car back into Victory Lane in Daytona. Knew we were coming here with a fast Mustang. Got there at the end. Showed it when it counted. That’s as much Brad’s win as ours right there.”

“That was the right help, aggressive, sticking with us. I was waiting for him to do something there coming to the finish. I figured we’d be side by side. Looked like it stalled out a little behind there,” Buescher added. “Just so thankful for Brad for all those pushes at the right time. Found each other here and there throughout the race, lost each other, and got back on when it counted.”

As the regular season reached its thrilling end, Keselowski’s unexpected encounter with potential car trouble and Chris Buescher’s triumphant win added layers of intrigue to the motorsport narrative. Amidst this, Keselowski’s candid remarks raise questions about the compatibility of the Next Gen Car with high-intensity races.

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